The use of handheld devices in harsh environments has increased. For example handheld devices may be used in the Field Service, Courier/Delivery, Asset Tracking, Meter Reading, Ticketing, Retail, Livestock Tracking, and Warehousing. Handheld devices used in harsh environments may not only have to function in a wide range of operating temperatures, they may also have to withstand harsh treatment such as repeated drops onto hard surfaces. The environment that the electronic devices function in may also be dusty or wet, and as such the handheld device should prevent against the ingress of dust and water.
Rugged handheld devices that can meet the requirements of these harsh environments have unique design considerations, in addition to the design considerations of non-rugged handheld devices. For example, in order to ensure that water or dust does not enter the handheld device, the handheld device may need to meet or surpass Ingress Penetration (IP) 65 tests. Typically this has required the sealing of connections between housing components or parts using a gasket or similar seal. This can cause problems during assembly of the handheld device as the gasket must be seated correctly prior to securing housing components together. Additionally, the use of gaskets can make the resealing of housing components together in the field difficult. This has led to reducing the number of housing component connections required. While this can create a rugged device, it can make fixing the rugged handheld device in the field difficult since reducing the number of connections makes the modular replacement of components difficult.
The environment that rugged handheld devices are used in, in general results in parts needing to be replaced more often than non-rugged handheld devices. For example a touch screen may be broken by the repeated use of a screwdriver as a stylus. Docking connectors may break through repeated docking and undocking, and keyboards or keypad may wear out from use. Replacement of individual components in the field may be difficult using typical housing designs for rugged handheld devices.
Batteries of handheld devices often need to be replaced. In order to preserve information during battery replacement it is typical to include a backup battery in handheld devices. However, the size of the handheld device is limited, and the placement of the backup battery has been placed typically on the main board electronics. This makes replacing the backup battery in the field difficult. As with the other components, it may require the complete or near complete disassembly of the handheld device.
It is desirable to provide a housing for a rugged handheld device that allowed for one or more of the components to be replaced individually. It is also desirable to provide a handheld device housing that can minimize a malfunction of the handheld device. It is further desirable to provide a rugged device and a housing for the rugged device that cooperate each other so as to replace the device components smoothly and without causing the malfunction.